Driving-clutch for power transmission.



N0. 814,093. PATNNTTD MAR. 6, 190e.

J. K. STEWART. DRIVING CLUTCH TON TOWER TRANSMISSION.

APPLICATION FILED APR 10, 1905.

'//llll/Ill/lulvllllll Ta LZZ whom 1; may concern:

JOHN KERWIN STEWART, `or cHIcAedf ILLINOIS.

`DmvmefcL uTol-l VFon PowER TRANSMISSION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Maren e, 1906.

Application filed April 10, 1905. Serial No. 254,751.

Be it known that I, JOHN KERWIN STEW- ART, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the count of Cook and State of Illinois, have invente new and useful Imrovements in Driving-Clutches for Power ansmission, of which the followin is a specification, reference being had to t .e acc f mpanying drawings, forming a part there This invention relates to devices for transmitting power from a continuously-revolving shaft, particularly adapted for use in transmitting from such shaft to a plurality of secondary shafts desi ned for connection with flexible or jointed s afts for operating hand- `directed tools whose action it is desirable to be able vto interrupt and resume independently of each other.

It consists of the features of construction set out in the claims.

. In the drawin s, Figure 1 is asection axial With respect to oth the driving and driven Shafts at the plane of the line 1 1 on Fig. 2 of a device invo ving my invention. Fig. 2 is a section at the line -2 2 on Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a' detail side elevation of the driven shaft anddevices thereon for clutching. Fig. 4 is a detail view of a stoplate.

The continuous y-driven shaft 1 may be understood as mounted in xed bearings deriving power from any source. (Not shown.)

.j For the urpose of this'invention a" hanger and ear ousing 2 is hung on the shaft 1, on whic within the housing there is made fast the power transmitting gear 3. At the tlower side the hanger 2 has a housin 4, containing bearings or a driven sha t 5, on vhich there-is mounted .rigidly a clutch mem'- In order -that the shaft may be introduced into the housing with the clutch member 6 rigidly united Wlth it or even integral with it, said' housing is bored out at one end, as seen at 4, to the full size of the clutch 'member6, and a steel bushin 7 of the size of the bore 4HL is provided to'fol ow the clutch member 6 into the bore as the shaft is inserted and consti'tuteajournal-bearing for the shaft, such bushing being securedin position b a screw 7a. Said housing 4 is further cham ered'out at 4b to accommodate a inion 8, and said chamber 4b opens into t e chamber 2, inl

which the gear 3 is accommodated, the opening being of the full width of thesmaller chamber 4b, so that the pinion 8 can be in- 'shaft into and out of drivin 'troduced edgewise through the chamber 2a into the chamber 4b before the shaft 5 is inserted into the housin 4, and the-shaft is then inserted through t e pinion.

The pinion at the side toward the bore 4aL is formed to constitute or hasrigid with it a clutch member 8*?. The clutch members 6 and 8i are ,adapted for clutchin by having each of them a single tooth 9, an the shaft is 4designed to be longitudinally moved in its bearings for en a in and disen aging these teeth. For thegprpse of thus agdjusting the relation itfis provided back of the end w ich protrudes from the journal-bearing 7-that is, at the larger end of the housing 4-with an 'annular groove 5a, and at the end itis providedlwith a taper-pointed aXially-protruding.v stud. yor pin 5b. In a bracket 1a, formed or mounted at the upper side ofthe bearing 4 and project# ing'beyond the largerl end' thereof, ther'eflis` fulcrumed va bell-crank lever 10, whichilias' its shorter arm rejecting transversely with respect to the s aft 5 andprovided with= a finger or lip 10, which engages the annular groove 5a of the shaft 5L" yAnother finger 10b of the same arm of the'b'ellcrank lever projects past the end of the shaft Iand past the end of the .stud 5b, which terminates the shaft, and through this finger 10b there is set a bolt`11, whose inner end stands in position to encounter the end of the stud 5b, and this bolt is adjustable by screwing through the 'finger and is provided with a lock-nut 12 for securingit at pro er position. finger 108L of the ell-crank lever engagingthe groove 5a would` suffice not only to move the shaft lonl itudinally in either direction but also to ho d it in position for driving enagement of the clutch members but the igrictio'n which would be Acaused between the side of said lip 10I1 'against the side of the The pinion 8 is stopped against longitudif nal displacement in one direction by the inner en of the chamber 4b, but said chamber Abeing necessarily extended to accommodate notonl the pinion, but also the clutch member '6 and the full range -of'movement of said clutch member into and out of engagin position, other means must be provide for IOO IIO

it. b ears laterally against the gear-rim of the-A pnnon outslde-said clutch member, and sochecks any tendency to longitudinal movement in that direction. A single screw 13" secures the stop-plate, which is prevented from turning so as to be displaced not only by the fact that it strides the clutch member, as stated, but also by the` sides of the chamber 4b, between which itv enters to stride the clutch.

For holding the bell-crank lever 10 in either' position to which it may be set for engaging or disengaging the clutch the longer arm 10X, which extends approximately parallel to the bearing 4 below the same, is provided with oppositely-projeeting angles 10C 10' and is embraced at the point atV which these angles are formed between two spring-plates 14 14, secured to the bracket 1L said spring-plates being indented from without inward to forni obtuse-ai'igled protrusions 14u 14l at directly opposite positionsfpast which the angles 10" of the lever-arm must move when the `lever is rocked from one position to the other.

The resistance of the springs serves to check the lever against moving in either direction, so as to carry the angles 10c past the protrusions 14"L of the springs and also has the effect to insure full movement of the lever whenever any movement is made, because the operator must use considerable pressure to force the angles 10" ,pa-st the spring-bosses 14a. The .rapid diminution of the resistance which occurs as soon as the crest of the angles is past will cause the force applied by the hand of the operator, and which cannot be instantlyT arrested, to drive the lever to the lnnit in the direction in which it is being pushed.

A special feature ol' this clutch and its controlling device, which will now be described, has the purpose of causing the clutch to be disengaged whenever the resistance of the worl: exceeds a certain amount which maybe considered the limit of safety, as where a tool which may be operated by connection with the shaft 5 becomes snagged or engaged with some substance which would break the tool if its motion shouldbe forced. In such event the. driving power should be automatically disengaged, so that the tool being stopped the operator may remove the obstruction. vIt is not sufiicient that there should be mere slipping of the driving connections with rengagement or with a 'continuous driving-pressure merely insutliciei'it to'overcon'ie the obstacle, because in such case the continued strain. will be liable eventually to break the tool or distort it, and the operator would be prevented from relieving the tool of the obstruction while the pressure of the power was operating upon it, even though insufficiently to drive it. dientfor accomplishing the purpose of eausing automatic disengagement of the drivingpower in such cases consists. first, in making the engaging shoulders of the clutch-teeth t) sloping at an angle, which according to exl. rience with the particular 1sind ot' work. to which the device is to be applied will cause the teeth to ride up upon each other and become disengaged when the resistance reacties the safety limit. ll the shaft were merely held elastically in the direction for engagement of the clutch, sueh disengagement, as above described, would merely carry thc teeth past each other and cause the shaft to come back into position for engagement at the next revolution, so that there would be a constantly-recurring blow at each revolution when the sloping shoulders ofthe teeth came together, which would be even more likely to break the tool than the steady driving-pressure. In order, therelbre, that the erowfling apart of the clutch members b v the slopes of their cooperating teeth under such circum- .stances shall not merely cause them to pass at that revolution, but to remain separated, so that they will not rengage at the next revolution, the angles 10, bell-crank lever 10, and angular protrusions 14*l of the springs 14 are relatively located, so that the movement of the shaft 5 endwise to the distance to which it will be forced by the climbing of the sloping teeth one upon the other, carries the angles l0C past the crest of the protrusions 14, so that return of the lever in the opposite direction is prevented, and the shaft is thereby held at the extreme position to which it is forced in the escape of the teeth past each other, andA the power remains shut o'll' from the shaft 5 until the obstruction or other difflculty being removed the operator' moves the lever in direction for engaging the clutch.

I claimv 1 In combination with a shaft 4hanger having a shaft journaled therein;' a. pinionsponding sloping shoulders for engagementJ with each other, the shaft being longitudinally movable in itsbearings; a lever mount- -ed on the bearing and connected with the shaft for receiving and transmitting such longitudinal movement, and means on the bear'- The expe- IOO IOS

IIO

ing'for holding the lever at the position to which it is moved by the longitudinal movement of the shaft.

2. In Combination with a hanger, a shaft 5 journaled therein; a pinion loose on the shaft and means independent of the shaft for stopping it against endwise movement; coperal ing eluteh members on the pinion and shaft respeetively having sloping shoulders for io driving engagement with each other, the shaft being movable longitudinally in the bearings, and means for holding it yieldingly at the position -to which itis thus moved.-

3 In combination with a hanger, a shaft i 5 journaled therein ;A a pinion loose on the shaft and stopped independently of the shaft against endwise movement; cooperating clutch members on' the, pinion and shaft 'respeetively having sloping shoulders for drivzo ing engagement with eaeh other, the shaft being movable longitudinalh7 in the bearings; a lever fuleruined on the bearing and engaging `^the shaft for giving it longitudinal movement, and a spring-plate along which the lez 5 ver moves, said plate having an angular up raise protruding toward the lever, the lever having the side toward the plate formed with an angle for encountering said angular'upraise.

4. In combination with a hanger, a shaft journaled therein; a pinion loose on the shaft and stopped independently of the shaft against endwise movement; cooperating clutch members on the pinion and shaft, the

shaft being movable 'longitudinally in its bearings and having an annular groove near the end ;-a lever fulc-rumed on the bearing having a finger which takes into the annular groove of the shaft, and having a second finger which projects past the end of the shaft, and a taper-pointed screw set through the last-mentioned linger for bearing against the JOHN KERWIN STEWART.

` Witnesses.

v CHAS. S. BURTON,

. J. S. ABBOTT. 

